Friends... Need your suggestions.. How to stop Bedtime feeding for my 13months boy!

Re: Friends... Need your suggestions.. How to stop Bedtime feeding for my 13months bo

Hi
No its not too late ..........
first make sure u give him heavy dinner ....if his stomach is full he wont wake up so many times.Try Ragi in milk.
Most of the time kid wake up due to cold or when they are thirsty ..........try giving some water when he wakes up.
Take help from ur MIL or mom to take care of him when he wakes up at night ....if u carry him he will smell it and want milk ...........so better somebody else (his father maybe) ....to take care of him at night.
Intially be prepared for lot of crying for him ........but trust me if u dont give him milk for 1 week automatically he will forget .

I breastfeeded my kid for 2 years ...and he is just not giving up ........than my MIL came and help me for 1 week .She told me not to give him milk ...let him cry.......if possible get up from the bed and have a small walk .......eventually he will get sleep ...........it happens for 3 days ..........and to my surprise after that he never ask for my milk .

As ur kid is small try giving him cerelac or any other liquid when he wakes up .

 

Re: Friends... Need your suggestions.. How to stop Bedtime feeding for my 13months bo

I really dont think separating him from you to quit this habit is a good idea. Firstly he will be missing you, secondly he will be denied what he is used to since day one.
One thing I can think of is, why do you want to stop this bed time feeding? i.e before he sleeps, maybe its OK for him to have milk? He is only 13 months.

Now, frequently waking up is a battle I am also fighting. But luckily mine is slowly settling down. I was not breastfeeding her though, so mine was a little easier compared to you. When I weaned her off, I started with water. Instead of milk, I used to offer water. She was OK for the longest time and then she fell sick and refused to eat anything. So, mid nights i used to give milk and she picked the habit again which I am trying to break.
So, see if offering water would help.

 

Re: Friends... Need your suggestions.. How to stop Bedtime feeding for my 13months bo

Gladys,

Does your son co-sleep with you (in your bed) or does he have a separate crib? I think he is waking up at night (most babies do and it is normal) and doesn't know how to soothe/comfort himself back to sleep. He is using the bottle/breast to get back to sleep because he doesn't know to do it on his own.

You need to sleep train him. It is better if he has his own crib...there are many techniques to do it. I used the 'wait and see' technique during the day and slowly introduced it at night. My son is still dependent on his pacifier to go to sleep but atleast he is sleeping in his own crib and not climbing on my neck in the middle of the night! In my case, I put two pacifiers in his crib so that he can find atleast one in the dark and go back to sleep. It is working for the past week!

I know how difficult it is to break habits and introduce something new to a baby. But it is not impossible! Sleep training can take up to a month or so but it is definitely worth the trouble and all the tears (both yours and your son's!). So pick up a technique, stick to it for a week, and if it doesn't work, try another technique. you can browse online for some of these major techniques. BUT, be prepared for a lot of tears and tantrums! Just stick through the tough phase and it will get better within a week or so. Good luck!

 

Re: Friends... Need your suggestions.. How to stop Bedtime feeding for my 13months bo

Gladys dear,

you aren't late at all. While you are away, do you know what you child eats and how much? Make sure that his calorie requirements are being met, first of all. If your child is unwell, just for those days give thick soups / porridge.

As long as you are certain his calorie needs are met, just refuse to feed him after his last feed. If he wakes up in the night, get your partner to offer him nothing but water. Your child will fuss and cry but if you give in after he cries, you will fix a terrible precedent. He is looking for comfort; without engaging much with him, just keep calmly saying something like, "it's ok. You are just going to sleep."

It might take over an hour the first night but it should get easier. Consistency is key here. The same person wakes up and does the same thing - offer water, talk calmly - each night. No point changing anything midway as it will take longer for the child to grasp what's going on. The child will protest painfully as he doesn't want his comfy routine changed. However if you stick with it consistently, he should get the hang of it in a couple of weeks.

Beware though that after settling down, most kids try again for a couple of days to break the routine and get back to their old ways. At these points too if you handle it in the same the manner as the first few days, things will be in place. It is a tough job but you'll be glad when it is sorted. Xx

 

Re: Friends... Need your suggestions.. How to stop Bedtime feeding for my 13months bo

I just wanted to add one more thing, when my DD was (still is) waking up every so often, I realized that it could be the way the bed/crib is positioned. Some how, when I changed the bed position and started letting her sleep alone, she seems to be sleeping for longer stretches.
Rest assured, it will get better as they grow. Mine at 2 years still doenst sleep through the night but its getting better by the day. Hang in there.

 

Re: Friends... Need your suggestions.. How to stop Bedtime feeding for my 13months bo

:bowdown im truly blessed regarding sleep issues... TOUCH WOOD!!

he plays all day in playschool, at home and even at the park... he gets tired and sleeps whole night!!

try avoiding putting kid to sleep after 6 pm evening and put to sleep after 9-10pm min... (my son doesnt sleep at 11 pm even (he wants to spend time with his dad!!) thats a different matter and a battle i have to fight for when he joins pre-school in two months he needs to be up very early!!) they will sleep...

regarding feeding i cant help as i had to stop at 11 months compulsorily because of chicken pox!

 

Re: Friends... Need your suggestions.. How to stop Bedtime feeding for my 13months bo

Do you bottle feed him also ? If yes then you can try something which worked for my DD. She is 1 year old now. She generally goes to sleep around 1 hr after dinner.Just when she is dozing off, I offer her a 4-5 Oz bottle of formula which she drinks while falling asleep. This keeps her full throughout the night and she wakes up only in in the morning.

I know, after few months I have to stop this also, because once teeth come out, a last feed of milk may cause teeth decay. But I will find a different way then.

For the time being, this approach is working for me.